Elvis Duran taking over WMTX morning drive

Posted Dec 7, 2009 by Walt Belcher

Updated Dec 7, 2009 at 05:22 PM

Elvis is in the building.

Listeners to Mix 100 radio woke up this morning to a new voice.

Actually, there are about a dozen new voices on “The Elvis Duran Morning Show” on WMTX (100.7 FM). “We have a lot of diverse opinions and two strong women,” says Duran, a New York radio personality who is syndicated to more than 20 markets.

He and his morning crew are taking over the morning slot occupied by Nancy Alexander (and various male sidekicks) during the past 10 years. Alexander moves to 2 p.m. drive time today.

“We’re excited about coming into Tampa,” says Duran, who has been in New York for about 20 years after numerous radio gigs around the country.

“Nancy is a tough act to follow, but she’s a great talent, and she should do well in the afternoons,” he says.

Alexander enjoyed a large loyal female audience, and Duran says his show is strong with women. “We appeal to women, especially younger women. We’ll draw office workers, teachers and college students,” he says.

Duran, a native of Dallas, says Tampa has a rich history of radio wars with morning shows battling fast and furiously to win the ratings. “It may take awhile for our show to catch on because we’re new and there will be a lot of unfamiliar voices coming at the listeners,” he says.

At least one of the voices might be familiar to some. South Florida radio personality “Froggy,” who used be on MJ Kelli’s morning radio show on WFLZ (93.3 FM), is a regular contributor to Duran’s show even though he is still based in Miami. “Froggy has relatives in Tampa, so he’s excited that they can hear him again,” Duran says,

He describes his show as “weirdly humorous.” For a long time it was known as the “morning zoo” on Z-100 in New York. An award-winning radio personality, Duran has worked in Atlanta and Philadelphia.

“We are topical, and we talk about what’s happening in pop culture,” he adds. Being a top-rated show in New York means a lot of celebrities drop by. Adam Lambert and Lady GaGa are among the recent guests.

He says it’s hard to compare his morning show to popular shows already on the air here (MJ Kelli’s on 93.3 and Bubba The Love Sponge on 102.5 FM). “We’re different,” Duran says. He notes that the show will have a Tampa-based producer and there will be local inserts. “And we will keep up with what is happening in Tampa,” he adds.

The two women on Duran’s show are Carolina Bermudez and Danielle Monaro, both experts in gossip, fashion and whatever.

Monaro calls herself a tough chick from the Bronx. She provides the daily “Sleaze” report (which lately involves tracking Tiger Woods).

Bermudez is the “fashionista” on the show. She reports on the latest beauty products and fashion trends. She also is senior editor for the gossip magazine “In Touch Weekly.”  You can see her on shows like CNN’s “Showbiz Tonight” and VH1’s “The Fabulous Life Series,” and the E! network.